


Boyfriend Materia

by TauntedOctopi



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Background Relationships, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Canonical Character(s), Multi, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:44:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23461870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TauntedOctopi/pseuds/TauntedOctopi
Summary: Cloud works through his trauma, piece by piece, with a little help from his girlfriend - you - and his family.
Relationships: Cloud Strife/Reader, Tifa Lockhart/Reno, Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough
Comments: 16
Kudos: 188





	1. Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> Originally this was going to be a one shot smut fic but it evolved into a hurt comfort angst that eventually becomes fluffy so... Enjoy this maybe?

You always missed Cloud when he disappeared for any given amount of time. It was kind of something you were used to by now, but it didn't make it any easier. You knew that he had his own troubles, more than he liked to let on. Even when he told you his stories, you always felt as though he was leaving some detail out, as if to spare you any worry. As if he could somehow shield you from worrying about him. That was impossible. 

The roaring of his motorcycle was distinct to you, even over the sounds of the Sector Seven slums. You didn't bother going down the stairs to greet him; he would take them two at a time anyway. 

By the time you even reached the door, he was opening it, giving you a tired half smile as he set his sword on the hook on the wall. His eyes were tired, as they always were. 

You wished he would keep his therapy appointments, but you knew you couldn't force him. That it would only push him away if you tried. All you could do was be there for him. 

You wanted to tell him you'd missed him, but you knew he felt guilty when you did. He wished he could be more stabilised, take better care of you. It always seemed to be you and Tifa taking care of him. Neither you nor she minded, of course, but it did little to assure him, no matter how much you told him otherwise. 

Instead, you opened your arms to him, said nothing, let him come to you and rest his head on your shoulder in silence for a moment. 

He wished he could tell you everything, but his memories were so patchy, he wasn't even sure what was real or not. He would rather keep what he knew from you than tell you a lie by accident. Perhaps one day between you, you could piece it all together. 

He took a deep breath against your shoulder, his face hidden for a moment while he composed himself. 

Even without his geostigma, even after seeing his friends in the lifestream... He was still a deeply troubled soul. Would be, perhaps for life. But at least, with you, he felt safe. 

Your fingers stroked along his arms gently, across muscles, up his shoulders, into his hair, holding him close. He wasn't much taller than you, but even so, he liked when you held him. 

"Sorry I was gone so long..." 

You shook your head, continued to stroke his hair. 

"You never have to apologise to me. You need your space. I understand." 

You didn't fully, but you understood the need to run, to hide away from everyone at times. Even though he had moved back home, he still needed space to work through everything in his head. 

"You don't... Have to pretend to understand." he had said once. Since then, you hadn't. You had simply accepted the way he was, and offered help when it was needed, even when he didn't ask. 

At least you understood why he left sometimes. 

"The flowers are growing back." Cloud offered finally, his way of telling you he would be alright, that you could let go now if you wanted. 

You kept on holding him. 

"Down here?" you had to double check, just to be sure. 

"Yeah. Just.. Little patches but.. They're there. I thought I could take you to see them?" he removed his head from your shoulder so he could look down at you. 

He knew you had never seen flowers beyond the church before. Certainly not wildflowers, growing beyond the city walls. 

"Really?" the promise of a date lured you; it wasn't that he didn't bother, more he was so caught up in his own trauma that it made your relationship complex. 

"Really. We could take the bike. You could put one in your necklace." 

The necklace in question was a gold locket that held a small photograph of the pair of you, a lock of intertwined hair taped to the back of it. It had been a gift for your birthday. 

Despite his trauma, he tried so hard. If Cloud was honest, he wasn't sure he deserved you. You were so, so patient with him, took such care of him. He wasn't great at showing it at times, but he loved you so much. 

"Well, that sounds lovely. You need a bath and a hot meal first, though.." you gave him a soft smile. Tifa had made soup, and you had baked bread. The perfect comfort meal. 

He was, he realised, too tired to protest either. 

"Alright. We can go the day after tomorrow, the weather is meant to be nice..." Cloud didn't want to admit it, afraid if he mentioned how much you, Tifa and the children meant to him, you would all disappear, but he wanted a day at home with everyone first to debrief. 

As he trudged to the shower, a small, genuine smile graced his lips as he pictured the look on your face when he had promised to take you to see the wildflowers. He would honour that promise. 

Such a simple gesture, but it meant so much to you. He was so grateful for your patience, the fact that you never seemed to grow irritated with him. Were simply always there for him when he came home. 

He would take you to see the flowers. But first, a bath, and probably a long lecture from Tifa over soup. He didn't mind. It showed she cared. 

As he washed dirt from his hair, he sighed heavily. He would be alright. Zack had said so, when he had seen him in the lifestream. He just needed to trust that. 

He took his time in the shower, finally stepping out to find a fresh towel folded on the bench. He assumed you had gone on ahead downstairs to help Tifa with food preparation, so he took his time drying off too, avoiding his reflection in the mirror. He barely recognised himself if he didn't style his hair. 

Throwing on another variation of his usual outfit: black pants, black sleeveless sweater, boots, he took a deep breath before he opened the door and headed downstairs for dinner.


	2. Domesticity

When Cloud entered the kitchen, he was fully prepared for the four pairs of eyes that settled on him. Silent, he sat, accepted the bowl of soup set in front of him.

The children knew better than to ask, now they knew he would always come back. His disappearances were commonplace. It seemed to him that they were all scanning him for any sign of physical injury. Unlikely, but it was the thought that counted.

Admittedly, the soup was good. It always was. Tifa had put extra vegetables into it, some sort of bean. It gave it an earthy flavour that reminded him of their childhood. The soup was one of few things that he could compare to childhood without triggering himself.

The bread you had baked was, as usual, soft and full of different grains. He supposed you had gotten Denzel to help you; the boy was handy in the kitchen, often asking to help you or Tifa with one thing or another.

As much as he was easily overwhelmed and distracted, Cloud had to admit it was nice to be back home, in the kitchen, with you and the others, eating something simple but made with love. It was something he had grown to appreciate even more since the Remnant incident. Simple things like this that Zack would never experience again.

'Living legacy', Zack had called him. He was still learning that perhaps the best way to be a legacy was, aside from his various heroic deeds, to simply live. If he could manage that... Then perhaps Zack's sacrifice wouldn't have been for nothing.

Hero or not, if he couldn't learn to live...

He sighed, pulling himself out of that dark thought space. Now wasn't the time to dwell on guilt and grief. Not when Marlene was chattering away happily, showing off her new hair ribbons. When Tifa and Denzel talked about a new monument being built. When you very briefly squeezed his thigh under the table, reassuring. A little reminder to focus on the present.

He washed and stacked the dishes whilst Tifa went through to open the bar. It was a week night, so it wouldn't be extremely busy, but the last thing she needed was to come back to dishes.

You returned from taking the children upstairs, getting them settled for the night. Often they would read together or watch television before bed, old enough to get themselves ready and asleep without much supervision. You hoped to have children of your own some day, but for now, while Cloud needed time to recover, you were content with helping to care for Denzel and Marlene.

"Look at you, all domestic," you gently teased as he stacked clean dishes to dry overnight.

"Look who's talking," he answered, smiling. "You'd still read to those two if they weren't old enough to read on their own now."

You didn't bother to correct him. It was true.

"Are you feeling alright?" you asked finally. He seemed less tormented than usual. You were glad to see it, relieved, although his usual fog of grief and uncertainty might return at any moment.

"Hm? Yes. For now, anyway. Let's just go upstairs." Cloud wanted to at least try and sleep before his dark mood returned. At least in his current content state, he might fall asleep easier. Especially with you beside him.

Usually the pair of you would help in the bar, but nights when he returned from time away were unspoken nights off. He might have insisted he would be alright, but if you went to help in the bar, he wouldn't sleep.

Back in your shared room, he removed his shoes and shirt, then climbed under the layered blankets. One was a soft quilt with a plain bedspread, the other a hand knitted blanket you had made.

Smiling, you turned on the bedside lamp, turning off the main light, leaving the room softly illuminated. 

You changed into your own sleepwear, brushed out your hair, then climbed in beside him. The bed was, somehow, already warm. Cloud seemed to radiate heat, something you were grateful for. He seemed, thankfully, less tense, already half asleep. The long journey on the motorcycle had exhausted him.

Cloud didn't realise just how tired he was until he had lay down, warm and comfortable in his own bed after a good meal. Turning onto his side, loosely wrapping an arm around you, he closed his eyes.

You pressed a soft kiss to his still-damp hair.

"Sleep now, love..."

Cloud did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tend to write better in short bursts. Please bear with my short chapters..


	3. Rain Day

You woke to heavy raindrops lashing the glass of your bedroom window. It was then that you realised that must have been a part of the reason Cloud had suggested the day after to go on your little trip to see the wildflowers. A motorcycle ride and nature walk probably wouldn't be as fun in pouring rain.

What was nice in such weather, was exactly what you were doing now. Curled up together, keeping warm and cozy under blankets. You were entirely certain that Marlene and Denzel would come looking for you both at some point, but for now you were happy to just enjoy the peace.

You became aware of someone watching you; turning to your left, you smiled when you were met with soft blue eyes. 

"You sleep okay?" 

That was always a difficult question to ask him. Sometimes he would, but sometimes he'd be honest and tell you he hadn't slept well at all. It was a mixed bag. 

"Not as bad as I sometimes do." 

He sighed. Although he struggled to admit it, Cloud definitely slept better when he was home with you. It wasn't that he felt that he couldn't tell you that, it was more he still kept his feelings close to his chest. Still afraid that someone would take everything and everyone he loved from him, somehow. 

You gave him a sympathetic look. 

"Can I help, at all?" 

He shrugged, considered it for a moment. Often he would just brush off any offer of help, even from you. He figured, while it was raining and the pair of you were stuck inside, maybe he should let you help him. 

"Could we just stay like this, for a while?" he asked, just a tiny little bit surprised by his own request. The peaceful sound of the rain combined with the warmth of you lying curled up beside him seemed like a good start, to him. 

"Of course." You ran your fingers gently through his hair, enjoying the rare opportunity to touch it without the usual amount of styling product in it.

He gave a soft little hum of contentment at the touch; it was soothing, so nice to just listen to the rain and be touched with such tenderness. Cloud might put on a tough guy act, pretending he cared very little about anything or anyone, but beneath his carefully constructed armour, he was selfless, kind, and needed to be loved. 

You understood that, understood him, in a way few people could. At least, few who were still alive. 

"Do you want me to bake you something today?" you asked; he didn't have much of a sweet tooth, but he loved whatever you or Tifa cooked. Especially if you managed to scrape together ingredients for banana and chocolate bread. 

He had his face buried in your shoulder still, muffling his little humm of agreement. The lure of leftover soup and something baked raised his spirits slightly. 

"Let's just stay here for a while, first, though.." you quite liked when he was the one cuddling up to you, and besides, that had been his first request. 

"Sounds good to me..." he was surprised to find himself already drifting back to sleep, still tired but comforted by your presence. 

You didn't mind at all. When he woke again, you could get some food. For now, you were more than happy to just hold him, help him catch up on much needed sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> VIIR is owning me atm, and I honestly love Cloud even more, so hopefully I'll be updating this fairly regularly. Thanks for reading!


	4. 4: Family Game Day

When Cloud woke again, you were gone, a mug of steaming coffee sitting on the side table beside him.

You had left him a little note that simply read "went to shower. Coffee's fresh."  
With no reason to worry, he sat up and rubbed his eyes, reaching for the coffee cup.

He appreciated the note, even if he was somewhat ashamed of admitting it. If he had simply woken to no trace of you, he might have panicked. Another thing he was too ashamed to admit.

He knew that he had trauma, knew that he wasn't functioning in a way that would perhaps be considered healthy. No amount of gentle coaxing from you or Tifa could get him to keep a therapy appointment, though. He didn't like prying strangers, and although he knew it wasn't fair to rely on people who were not professionals, he found it impossible to talk about with anyone bar you or his childhood best friend.

He was grateful for the patience shown, though. Glad nobody was trying to force him to 'get better', allowing him to go at his own pace. 

He sipped the coffee. It was perfect temperature, just hot enough to burn slightly. Bitter. He wasn't a fan of sweets, and you always managed to make his coffee perfect. 

He was halfway through the cup when you returned, hair damp from the shower, dressed in a soft shirt and jeans. He was pretty sure the shirt had once been his, something he'd left behind before taking off somewhere or other again. 

It was still raining outside. 

"Marlene wants to play Scrabble." you informed him. 

He sighed. Family board games were always quite fun, even if he pretended to hate them. Tifa and Denzel wouldn't take it seriously, Marlene would always be the one who wanted to play, Cloud would sulk, you would laugh, and Barrett would glare at anyone who tried to get out of participating. 

"Long as Tifa makes pizza..." he was already getting to his feet, fishing in the dresser for a clean pair of sweatpants and another of his favorite turtlenecks, long sleeved this time due to the chilly weather. 

"Pretty sure Marlene already asked." You smiled as you watched him rake his fingers through his hair, styling it into his trademark spikes. 

"Great. Then I don't see why we can't play a game or two." he shrugged, held out his hand to you. 

Smiling, you took it, let him lead you downstairs to the others. 

\---

The smell of pizza dough filled the main portion of the bar; poor weather kept everyone at home, so Tifa hadn't seen much point in opening the place up. 

Thankfully that meant that the bar kitchen oven was free to use to make pizzas in, and one of the large wooden tables had been cleared of glasses and cutlery, replaced with a large scrabble board and a stack of other assorted games. 

Barrett was helping Marlene count out letter tiles for everyone, face down so as not to have an advantage.  
Denzel was packing away what appeared to be a jenga set. Cloud dimly wondered who had won. 

The additional member of the party, then, stuck out like a sore thumb. Tall, lanky, obnoxiously red hair pulled back in a ponytail, Reno of the Turks was about as out of place as one could get.  
Unfortunately, the smartass was also Tifa's boyfriend, so Cloud had learned to play nice. Saying that, Reno had been a little nicer since he had started seeing Tifa. 

Their chance meeting during the business with the Remnants had led to a date, which had then led to one of the most obscure couples Cloud could think of. Still, much as he disliked Shinra and anything to do with it, he had to admit, at least the redhead treated Tifa kindly and with respect. 

Said redhead had the sleeves of his shirt rolled up, blazer tossed over the back of a chair as he helped prepare the pizza. 

"Well hey, man, wasn't sure you'd ever come join the party. Then again, pizza is a pretty sweet bribe." 

Cloud didn't think he'd ever get used to the punk, gangster type way Reno spoke, but he tried not to hold it against him. 

"I was tired..." he said, a little apologetic, though that was mostly directed at the children. 

"Doesn't matter! You're here now!" Marlene cheered from the game table. 

"That's right." you agreed from beside him. "Go have a seat, I'll bring you another coffee." 

Mildly amused, Cloud did as he was told, sliding onto the wooden bench beside Denzel, who gave him a shy grin. 

"We gotta beat Marlene's high score." the younger boy explained, a conspiring hint to his voice, "she always beats me." 

Cloud laughed. 

"I'm not sure I'm as good at spelling as Marlene, but we can try." 

You watched them fondly from behind the bar as you poured coffee for Cloud and juice for the children. You weren't sure how long Cloud would remain soft with everyone, but it was beyond precious to see, when he let his guard down. 

Handing out drinks, you sat down on his other side, waiting for Tifa and Reno to join so the game could start. 

It was moments like this that Cloud held onto. These were things that he held dear, experiences with family, time spent together. These were surely the sort of moments that Zack and Aerith would want him to live for, right? 

He hoped that he was doing a decent job of being their legacy, even in mundane moments like this. He supposed that they would think so; both had been so kind, so selfless. Family like the one he had, would have meant everything to them. Had meant so much to Aerith, in the time she had spent as a part of it. 

Holding those remaining dear to him, seemed like a good way to honour them. Even if it meant being beaten at Scrabble by a seven year old girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting to add Reno in, and expand on a few of the supporting characters who mean so much to Cloud... I hope everyone enjoyed the little slice of domesticity here.


	5. 5: morning

Cloud slept so soundly, he didn't recall dreaming whatsoever. When he woke again, the rain had stopped, and he was inundated with pleasant memories of the day before.

Of pizza and board games late into the evening, of everyone having one last drink before heading off to sleep.

He almost wished every day could be the same as yesterday, but he had a promise to keep today, one he hoped would be equally as nice.

Ever since he had discovered flowers growing, in a place that wasn't the church, he had wanted to show you, waiting until the flowers had grown enough to be worth showing.

He knew you wouldn't have minded even if they were half grown and surrounded by weeds. You were the type who left out food for the stray cats in the slums, spent five gil a week on a large fish from the market to feed the regulars who frequented the bar's dumpsters.

"If we get fish pie on Tuesdays, so do they." was your logic. Once, he might have argued the point with you, said it was a waste of money to feed animals who were clearly doing alright by themselves. But if he was honest, Cloud liked that you cared so much. Found it endearing that you spent a good hour preparing fish for hungry cats before making dinner for everyone else.

Your kindness was one of the things that had drawn him to you at first. 

Taking advantage of being the first awake for once, he leaned over, kissing you into consciousness. 

You woke slowly, returning his kiss. 

"Hmm.. Morning.." you loved when he was affectionate like this. Usually you were the one initiating, unless he was in one of these sort of moods. 

"The weather's all cleared up... Means we can go out today." he propped himself up on one arm, smiling at you. 

If he was honest, he had been looking forward to taking you to see the wildflowers since he had told you about them. He knew he could be difficult at times, through little fault of his own, often feeling like he needed to make things up to you. 

He knew, too, that you didn't see it that way, which was part of why he loved you so much to begin with. 

You stretched. 

"Ooh, that's right!" you hadn't forgotten, but also hadn't wanted to assume that he would still feel up to the trip. It was far easier to take things day by day where Cloud was concerned. 

"I'm gonna take a shower. Pick out something to wear that's comfortable on the bike. We'll get coffee from that truck you like on the way out of town." 

He was feeling particularly clear headed today, wanted to spoil you while he was still feeling good. 

"Are you sure?" you asked; he was already on his feet, grabbing his pants, shirt, and jacket. 

"Absolutely sure. I promised you a date, didn't I?" 

You beamed at him, getting out of bed to look for something to wear. 

"Can't wait." 

He had already left the room to go to the bathroom and snag some hot water, leaving you smiling, waiting for him to return so you could start your day together.


End file.
